"He is single-handedly responsible for the extraordinary increase in acoustic flat-picking and fingerpicking guitar performance," Smithsonian folklorist Ralph Rinzer, who discovered Watson in 1960, told Time. "His flat-picking style has no precedent in earlier country music history."

Watson's death is another tremendous loss for bluegrass and country music, still mourning the March 28 passing of legendary banjo picker Earl Scruggs. Watson and Scruggs were friends and collaborators, from 1967's "Strictly Instrumental" to their union with Ricky Skaggs for "The Three Pickers" in 2003. Take a look at this vintage performance shot at Watson's home featuring Scruggs, Watson's son Merle, and Scruggs's sons:

Since 1988, Watson has hosted the popular traditional music festival MerleFest in Wilkesboro, N.C., named after his son and former musical partner Merle, who died in 1985. Here's Watson on stage at this year's festival in April: